How to Use optional in a Sentence

optional

adjective
Definition of optionalnext
Synonyms for optionalnext
  • Jackets are required at the restaurant, but ties are optional.
  • Many optional features are available on this car.
  • Registration is optional, not mandatory.
  • In the model home, the optional third floor has a full bathroom.
    — Benjamin C Tankersley, Washington Post, 7 June 2023
  • All of the resort's menu items are plant-based, with some optional meat add-ons.
    — Karen Cicero, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024
  • The optional bacon adds a brawny heft here, but the stew will be just as hardy without it.
    — Melissa Clark, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
  • The question box includes a space for your name, but this is optional.
    — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
  • Many have made the tests optional, and some won’t consider them at all.
    — Rich Lowry, National Review, 2 May 2023
  • Add an optional piece of gray cardstock cut into a thin rectangle to the right side of the card.
    — Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 31 May 2023
  • An optional finished basement adds 765 square feet to the open floor plan.
    — Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2024
  • The mirror is adaptable, with an optional floor stand or wall mount set-up.
    — Jennifer Nied, Women's Health, 14 July 2023
  • This was an optional add-on with last year's S7 MaxV Ultra.
    — Chuong Nguyen, Ars Technica, 23 Nov. 2023
  • Their next step was to add optional learning days — two each during the winter and spring breaks.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
  • Now Hyundai is launching the 2024 Sonata in the United States with a sharp new look, bigger screens inside, and optional all-wheel drive for the first time.
    — Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 30 Aug. 2023
  • The box includes a space for your name, but providing it is optional.
    — Amy Joyce, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The cafe and nail salon combo with optional child care is the answer to a pandemic problem that didn’t sit well with one of the founders.
    — Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 2023
  • As One Mile at a Time explains, there has to be some way of avoiding a fee in order for it to be classified as optional.
    — Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 30 Apr. 2023
  • The programming and time outside is optional, which means those who refuse it might spend their entire day locked up.
    — Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2023
  • Leather is optional across the board, but the standard leatherette, or cloth in the Advance version, is equally attractive.
    — Fred M.h. Gregory, Car and Driver, 12 July 2023
  • Pan-fry those rounds, if desired (that step is optional), and then simmer them in a tangy, garlicky tomato sauce.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2023
  • The chair can adapt to a range of ages and sizes: babies can be strapped in using the harness and toddlers can stand using the optional leg holes exersaucer-style.
    — Mandy Harris, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2023
  • For a group of Puerto Ricans, handheld fans were not optional.
    — Frances Solá-Santiago, refinery29.com, 25 May 2023
  • Chocolate wafers that melt into enticing pools and an optional sprinkling of flaky salt put them over the top.
    — Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2023
  • The state Assembly has approved amending the law to make the fall 2024 round of screening optional, with use in the winter and spring rounds (and all future years) required.
    — Alan J. Borsuk, Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024
  • The test car included optional rear-axle steering and front-axle lift system.
    — Dan Neil, WSJ, 28 July 2023
  • The Disney Dining Plan is an optional add-on that can be selected and paid for ahead of your vacation.
    — Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2023
  • The locket’s chain is adjustable from 20 to 22 inches and optional engraving is free.
    — Sarah Grossbart, wsj.com, 9 Nov. 2023
  • The piece de la resistance, however, is the optional 31in 8K Theatre Screen.
    — James Morris, Forbes, 6 May 2023
  • The package is listed under options, but was not optional at all.
    — Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 29 Mar. 2024
  • The features will begin rolling out on an optional basis ahead of the March 6th compliance deadline.
    — Tom Warren, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'optional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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